The Toronto Raptors are coming into the 2022-23 season with a lot of excitement. They made the playoffs last season and have tons of young players that can help the team improve again. They are potentially looking to add even more young talent.
According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN, the Raptors are keeping an eye out for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an All-Star-caliber player on the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder. “One of the situations they’re closely monitoring, according to a league source, is in Oklahoma City, where Toronto-born star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may eventually tire of leading a rebuild,” writes Lewenberg.
Nothing is expected to come of the SGA situation with the Thunder at the moment. The young, budding star is under contract for five more seasons and has given no hints that he wants to leave OKC. It may be a few years before he considers demanding a trade. If he does, though, the Raptors seem ready to pounce.
Building a future around Gilgeous-Alexander, a Toronto native, and Scottie Barnes would certainly be fun for the Raptors. SGA's scoring abilities are tremendous and he could be a solid defensive contributor under the tutelage of Nick Nurse. Toronto has the draft picks needed to make a trade with the Thunder as well as some other young players.
After being one of the teams linked the most heavily to Kevin Durant, the Raptors opted to keep what they have going and rebuild around younger talent. If Gilgeous-Alexander becomes available, though, Toronto may want to bring the Canadian back home.
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